6th Annual Ed Laboon MemorialJun 2, 2017 by Dan Beaver
Ed Laboon Memorial Viewers Guide
Ed Laboon Memorial Viewers Guide
The Ed Laboon Memorial will be the most lucrative and one of the competitive races in the Penn Ohio Series and it will be streamed live on FloRacing.
The Ed Laboon Memorial in Imperial, PA gives the Homak Penn Ohio Pro Stock Championship Series drivers an opportunity to take center stage at Pittsburgh PA Motor Speedway. The sixth running of the event that honors former racer Ed Laboon--who lost a battle to lung cancer in August 2012--has rapidly become one of the most prestigious races in the region
This year, it will stream live on FloRacing.
The 5/8th-mile track is one of the longest in this part of the state. With wide corners, it allows drivers to race two and three abreast for most of the race. So far in five attempts, no one has been able to capture the checkered flag twice, but there are several strong racers who hope to change that in 2017.
H4 Who To Watch
Bobby Whitling
Whilting's career started as a favor when he first came to the track to help out a friend's mother. Since then, he has challenged for victories regularly on the Penn Ohio circuit. He finished only 15th in last year's Ed Laboon Memorial [https://www.floracing.com/result/10170-5th-annual-ed-laboon-memorial], but came back later in the year to score a pair of top-fives.
"Pittsburgh is a real big track; it's a track of its own," according to Whitling. "There's nothing really anything like it to compare it to in our area. It's a real tricky place to figure out. The race itself, the Ed Laboon race, [event organizer Vince Laboon] does a great job of running it and raising money for the event, and it's for a great cause. So anytime we can support an event like that we do it.
Todd Weldon
The 19-year-old Weldon won this race last year in a thrilling battle at the end. When he returned to PPMS in August, he did not fair nearly as well with a 25th. Still, if a driver is going to get just one win for the series, this is the one to take.
"It's like the Daytona 500 of our class honestly," Weldon said. "It puts our division at the top when usually we're third or fourth at the highest. It pays good all the way through, which is really nice because only one guy is going to get the top purse. So everyone walks away with something. It brings out the best in everybody."
Chris Schneider
Schneider won the Penn Ohio points' championship last year in convincing fashion. After finishing second in the 5th annual Ed Laboon Memorial in a thrilling battle with Weldon, he won the next two races on this track later in the year. He won again at Raceway 7 in Conneaut, OH and scored eight top-10s in nine series races.
Wayne Carbo
Carbo shows up for the special events at PPMS and challenged both times he raced there in 2016. His third-place finish behind Weldon and Schneider in last year's Laboon Memorial was followed by a sixth when the series returned to this track in August.
170 Kelso Road
Imperial, PA, 15106
STREAMING: Available only on FloRacing. A yearly FloPRO subscription provides access to ALL FloSports sites. SIGN UP HERE
Comfort In The Laboon Memorial Will Make The Difference for Bobby Whitling
Vince Laboon Turned A One-Off Memorial Into A Tradition With The Ed Laboon
Ed Laboon Memorial Preview
Results, 2016
This year, it will stream live on FloRacing.
The 5/8th-mile track is one of the longest in this part of the state. With wide corners, it allows drivers to race two and three abreast for most of the race. So far in five attempts, no one has been able to capture the checkered flag twice, but there are several strong racers who hope to change that in 2017.
H4 Who To Watch
Bobby Whitling
Whilting's career started as a favor when he first came to the track to help out a friend's mother. Since then, he has challenged for victories regularly on the Penn Ohio circuit. He finished only 15th in last year's Ed Laboon Memorial [https://www.floracing.com/result/10170-5th-annual-ed-laboon-memorial], but came back later in the year to score a pair of top-fives.
"Pittsburgh is a real big track; it's a track of its own," according to Whitling. "There's nothing really anything like it to compare it to in our area. It's a real tricky place to figure out. The race itself, the Ed Laboon race, [event organizer Vince Laboon] does a great job of running it and raising money for the event, and it's for a great cause. So anytime we can support an event like that we do it.
Todd Weldon
The 19-year-old Weldon won this race last year in a thrilling battle at the end. When he returned to PPMS in August, he did not fair nearly as well with a 25th. Still, if a driver is going to get just one win for the series, this is the one to take.
"It's like the Daytona 500 of our class honestly," Weldon said. "It puts our division at the top when usually we're third or fourth at the highest. It pays good all the way through, which is really nice because only one guy is going to get the top purse. So everyone walks away with something. It brings out the best in everybody."
Chris Schneider
Schneider won the Penn Ohio points' championship last year in convincing fashion. After finishing second in the 5th annual Ed Laboon Memorial in a thrilling battle with Weldon, he won the next two races on this track later in the year. He won again at Raceway 7 in Conneaut, OH and scored eight top-10s in nine series races.
Wayne Carbo
Carbo shows up for the special events at PPMS and challenged both times he raced there in 2016. His third-place finish behind Weldon and Schneider in last year's Laboon Memorial was followed by a sixth when the series returned to this track in August.
Where To Watch
Pittsburgh PA's Motor Speedway170 Kelso Road
Imperial, PA, 15106
How To Watch
ON TV: Now available on Roku and Apple TV 4 -- download the FloSports app today!STREAMING: Available only on FloRacing. A yearly FloPRO subscription provides access to ALL FloSports sites. SIGN UP HERE
Ed Laboon Memorial Coverage
Todd Weldon Hopes To Be The First Repeat Winner Of The Ed Laboon MemorialComfort In The Laboon Memorial Will Make The Difference for Bobby Whitling
Vince Laboon Turned A One-Off Memorial Into A Tradition With The Ed Laboon
Ed Laboon Memorial Preview
Results, 2016